Aug 15, 2012

Next Stop Portland

On this road trip we decided to visit Rob's sister in Portland, Oregon. I've always wanted to visit Portland because of its cool, artsy, and environmentally conscience vibe. Portland is a seven-hour drive from Cottonwood so I had to plan a stop and do something fun with the kids. We decided to go to Galice and try white water rafting on the Rogue River.

Taken with my iPhone in my Dicapac case.

We got there early so the Rogue River was pretty calm with just a few areas where there were rapids. It was a beautiful three-hour ride down the river and I hardly got wet! I bought a waterproof case called Dicapac for my iPhone so I could take video of our ride. It worked great and it's amazing how clear my videos and pictures were.

As we headed into Portland it was a beautiful cloudy day.

The next day we parked our car in the city and got around by streetcar, which the kids loved.

Waiting for the street car.

I love that everybody rides their bikes in Portland to get around.

They even have Brew Cycle Portland, which is a great way to tour all the local breweries in Portland. The website says, "The brewcycle is a 15 person, 100% green, party machine", the kids liked how all the seats were bike seats.

Having fun on the brewcycle!

What I really love about Portland is that locals own most of the restaurants and retail shops. I don't remember seeing any chain restaurants or stores. I loved shopping and walking around in the Pearl District. Just looking at all the business retail signs was inspiring; there were so many cool graphic designs. We stopped and had a sandwich and an ice tea at Love Joy Bakers, which has yummy sandwiches and drinks.

Having bottled soda and a sandwich on the sidewalk at Love Joy Bakers, it's like the kids have never seen a soda in a bottle before!

Just walking around and looking at all the cool old architecture was fun. I also checked out a few record stores (not cd's but vinyl). I couldn't believe how many there were; I think I went to three or four all within walking distance of each other. I just happened to find a Van Morrison record my dad has been trying to find.

Always goofing off!

There are really cool parks in the middle of the city made with recycled materials. This park used train tracks and made a really beautiful fence.

We had to visit the famous Voodoo Donuts even though the line is always out the door! The kids had to try a donut topped with bacon and other crazy toppings. Check out their website on my link above, it's something to see!

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I am a mom, wife, hairstylist and a wanna-be photographer. I'm always looking for anything that inspires me in my daily life.
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